Chapter 5: Logan

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"Logan?" The word flowed from her mouth before she could stop it. Was it possible perhaps her eyes were deceiving her?For a moment, her eyes examined him as if a soul standing before her without its body. She poked his arm. He let out a chuckle. Fragile and splintered like glass barely holding its shape. A chuckle that echoed in her mind. He slid himself next to her.

The wind blew, sending chills of terror down Bianca's spine. Her mind kept going forth and back with a zillion questions, running through her mind about the figure seated next to her.

The last time she saw him was among the crowd of students that witnessed the horrible scene the day Anna's body was found. Floating lifelessly in the swimming pool.

At that moment, his walls had come crumbling down. Part of him died with her that day. A moving body with a dead soul.

For a couple of weeks, he was as quiet as a church mouse. His character was lost in the walls of the swimming area where he had seen her. The following week, he missed the first day of the week, followed by the second and another, and another till he had completely vanished from Hidden Ville.
The day he was supposed to say his last goodbyes to her and shed his tears - he hadn't come and no one knew of his where abouts.

Today, Bianca seemed as if she had spotted a ghost in front of her. Behind his dark brown eyes hid pain beyond human comprehension. A high school boy trapped in the abyss with no way out.

Finally, he turned to look at Bianca, and he let out a nervous laugh.

"Hey," he spoke, breaking the silence.

"Hey." Bianaca replied.

"These past few weeks ... ." He spoke in a melancholy tone." Have been ... strange."

Without saying a word, she reached out to him and embraced him. Squeezing the life out of him. It was as if she hadn't seen him in ancient. The cool breeze that pierced her skin became unbotheresome at the moment as her body felt warmer.

His lips relaxed, stretched across his face, and deep dimples formed on his cheeks. He chuckled out loud. A laugh that radiated warmth. The first laugh after weeks of terror.

Their silence hummed like a wire pulled taut, vibrating with unspoken words.
Bianca's gut could feel Logan's absence. Her eyes darted at him, scanning him.

"Logan?" Victoria uttered, her mouth hung wide open, and her slender fingers released the cold ice cream cone she held.

"Impossible." Bryse uttered above a whisper. He threw himself on Logan, hugging him as if he was hugging a teddy bear.

"Okay, bro!" Logan uttered as he tried to shiver him away, and he finally succeeded to shove him. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he reached his pocket to look at the screen that glared at him. His eyes flickered for a second before locking eyes with Bianca for a split second.

He stood up and adjusted his wrinkled shirt.
His lips left a gap as if he wanted to utter words, but he quickly closed it.

"Leaving so soon?" Bryse spoke, and Logan nodded his head." Wait!" Bryse called out to him, and he immediately froze in his tracks.

"I know it's difficult. It has also had a toll on us!" Bryse spoke as he pointed at Victoria, Bianca, and himself." Not just us, but the school too." He walked closer to Logan.

"I assure you. We'll find out who did this - "

"No!" He snapped at Bryse. He grabbed his collar of the jacket and pulled him closer to him. His nostrils flared as he breathed out fire." Stay in your lane." He growled and released him with a shove. With one last look, he glared at Bryse before vanishing into the sleek black BMW across the street.

"What was that about?" Victoria questioned her two friends with her eyes widened and her voice trembling.

"He knows something we don't." Bryse answered her with his eyes narrowing. He exchanged looks with the two girls for a moment.

"Quick! Let's go!" He said as he grabbed his girlfriend's hand.

Victoria bit her lip and stared at the glowing phone screen of the letter. The words silently threatened her. The day she had gotten it , she had been hyperaware of her surroundings, not the amount to hide the eerie feeling of being watched. The world around her wore smiling, concealing dark intentions.

"Vic? Aren't you coming?" Bianca asked her.

"Rii- ight!" She stammered as she tucked her phone away in her pocket and chased after them.

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